Vehicle wheel



1,457,013 W. G. WILSON Y VEHICLE WHEEL May 29, 1923.

Filed Sent. 25 1922 Patented May 29, 1923.

`a f citizen `off the 'United States, `4r.the .city of nBridgeport,

Fairfield adpState of Connecticut, have in- VHICLE WHEEL.

Applikation `filed september 25,-11'922. serial-Nb. *590,396.1

Fogel-Zecharia t my concern Be-it known that I, W1Li-.1'AM5G- AIVILsoN, residing at in -the 'county of vented certain new andusefuliImprovements in Vehicle Wheels; `and I do declare thefollowing to bea ullycleanand exact :description of the invention, `isuch as will enablel -other's Askilled-inthe Vart 'to which it appertains to make and use 'the same. Y,

This invention has `reference 'to wheels for `iaiittnnobiles,` -butfniore particularly refers` to 'certain improvements on the construction shown `anddesc'ribed in Letters y'Patent No.

1,386,389, issued Augustj`2, '1921, jointly to me and -toGharlesHudalLr struction therein shown and describedmade no provisions as against the crawlmg dispvlacniiit of the 'serpentine shaped pieces,.-

and the present invention aims to overcome this defect and to provide a wheel in which the reenforcing parts shall be firmly held in position, and so that there can be no'wrenching of the spokes at either end.

The particular features of the invention consist in reenforcing the spokes by means of serpentine shaped pieces of wire or rods molded in the spokes the inner ends of said pieces being anchored to a metallic part of the frame while the outer extremities of said pieces are secured to an encompassing metaly of Figof Fig- Figure 4 is anelevation of the metallic.

structure of the wheel before the rubber part is molded thereto.

Similar numerals of reference denote like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

In proceeding in accordance with the present invention, a steel bushing 1 having at one side a flanged head 2 is provided, and to the opposite side of this bushing is welded a fbolts,

of. the serpentine piece.

flange 3, and yjth'irougvz-gh these lianges v'extend bolts 4 whichareriveted or otherwise secured.tothe-flanges@ sojthat thegends of the bolts yare Hush w'ith-tlrefouters'surfaces of :the flan-ges.

rodsy which are as many in number :asthe piece iswelded afflat cap 6 y atively broad "with respect to thev thickness 7y is a thin steel 'hoop or rim "which surrounds the entire vsystem offserpentne shaped pieces, and "is 'shrunklon the cap 6 or Y u rigidly *secured 'Injthe Letters Patent aforesaid, the-'con'- thereto by'screws. f

the frameor'skeleton fportionfoff'th'e wheel vas 'it appears; before it is lplaced v`inf-the mold vwhereinthe `rubber element r`is 'molded tothe v5 are serpentine shaped pieces of wire ork `,and the :inner 'ex'tremity'of e'achf'seripe'ntine Apiece isi secured to one` of the bolts,

while to lthe router end of 'each 'serpentine which is compari.'

frame so as to entirely surround the bolts f and to contain the serpentine shapedfpieces, the end caps, and the surrounding ring.

In this bolting process the side flanges f2 and 3 are embedded in the rubber so as to be f Y flush therewith, so that it will be clear that there are no metal yond'the rubber.

It is quite essential that these serpentine parts that protrude beshaped pieces 5 are anchored or tied at their 4 ends. because this efectually prevents the' crawling of these pieces, and, furthermore,

since these pieces are all tied or connected to substantially the same element, the effective v,

action of the whee1,fso far as the various spokes are concerned, is thereby rendered more uniform. y

While the end caps 6 are themselves quite eii'ective, so 'far as preventing the outward crawling of the serpentine shaped piecesl isY concerned, nevertheless, the encircling rim or hoop 7 1s quite desirable and advantageous, although it is not desired that the vin-I vention be limited to theuse of this hoop.

, The molded rubber not only forms the spokes 9, but it also forms 4web-like portions 8 which extend throughout the space between the spokes, as well as the hubv 10 and tread 1l.

The spokes are disposed in pairsthat are,

diametrically opposite so thatthe action of the -reenforcing elements' is rendered still more uniform.

From the foregoing it will beclear that a wheel is provided with a continuous ringlike body between the hub, and the tread which body is reenforced' as to the spokes by metallic serpentine shaped pieces whose extremities are prevented from crawling orother displacement in the rubber body.

What is claimed is l. An automobile wheel composed of a flanged metallic hub portion having bolts at spaced intervals extending through the flanges of the hub, serpentine shaped metallic pieces whose inner extremities are anchored tol said bolts, end caps welded to the outer extremities of said pieces, and a rubber body molded to said structure and enclosing said bolts, serpentine shaped pieces and end caps. n

2. In an automobile wheel, a flanged 1netallic hub having at spaced intervals bolts which connect the flanged portions of the hub, reenforcing serpentine shaped metallic pieces whose inner extremities are anchored to said bolts, caps welded to the outer ends of said pieces, and an internal rubber structure having a hub portion, a tread and continuous ring-like body between the hubV and tread, and spokes whose inner ends connect with the hub and whose outer ends merge into the inner circumference of the tread, said rubber structure surrounding said bolts 30 and also surrounding said reenforcing serpentine shaped pieces in the` formation of lthe spokes.

3. An automobile wheel comprising a anged metallic hub portion, spaced bolts connecting the flanges of said hub portion, spoke reenforcing serpentine shaped pieces whose inner ends are secured to said bolts, caps secured to the outer extremities of said pieces, a metallic hoop surrounding said caps and secured thereto, and an integral rubber structure having a hub, a tread, a continuous ring-like body between the hub and tread, and spokes, the hub portion of the rubber body surrounding said bolts while the reenforcing serpentine shaped pieces are embedded lwithin the spoke portion, the metallic hoop being embedded within the tread portion of the rubber element.-

4. An automobile wheel composed of an integral rubber structure having a hub, a tread, a continuous ring-like body between the hub and tread, and spokes arranged in pairs diametrically opposite, the spokes containing reenforcing serpentine shaped metal*- licpieces whose'inner and outer ends are secured as against crawling movements.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature hereto. f

WILLIAM G. WILSON. l 

